In May, thousands of hardware and home improvement professionals from throughout the industry gathered at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the 73rd edition of the National Hardware Show. Attendees and exhibitors alike had the chance to network, learn about new products and see the latest and greatest in industry trends.

“The 2018 National Hardware Show was a successful one,” says Rich Russo, vice president of the National Hardware Show. “With three busy days full of excitement and enthusiasm, we were thrilled to see such a great turnout and hope everyone left feeling inspired by the ideas, best practices, insights and new connections made at the Show. It was inspiring for us to see so many industry professionals from across the country and all over the world gather together here at NHS.”

As always, a key focus for all who attended were new products—not only could retailers find the latest and greatest at the Show, but there were several featured areas where their latest innovations and developments were on display. “We’re constantly looking for products for our electrical department,” says Diana Newton, vice president of Bay Hardware in Seal Beach, California. “There are always improvements to be made there.”

The educational seminars at the North American Retail Hardware Association’s (NRHA) All-Industry Conference, held in the NRHA Village in the Central Lobby, were also a popular area for many attendees. “This event has it all: products, networking, learning more about managing and running a business,” says Sherri Amos, director of dealer support at Home Hardware. “It’s one you can’t miss.”

This brand-new area offered a chance for attendees to find the latest and greatest outdoor living products in their natural environment: outdoors! Fiberbuilt Umbrellas featured their product in this new display. “I like The Ultimate Backyard,” says Paul Knapp, president of Fiberbuilt Umbrellas. “I’ve come to the Show for years and always came out to the tailgate area, but I had to head back inside to see the outdoor accessories. This area brings everything together in one place.”

The Ultimate Backyard was sponsored by Adams Manufacturing. Other participating vendors included:

Better Life Technology, Blue Orange Pottery, Bug Elimination & Prevention Co., Classic Accessories, Canadian Spa Company, Coolbox Cooler, Dometic Corp, Fiberbuilt, Garden Weasel, Global Outdoor Concepts, GoSun, Great Scrape, Husqvarna Professional Products, La Crosse Technology, Lifetime Products, Naturae Décor, Pawleys Island Hammocks. Portacool, Real Flame Fireplaces, SnapLock Industries, SYNLawn, Tarter Farm and Ranch, The Boltze Group/ Ember Grills, Toy State

Official Bar Sponsor: Traeger Grills

Official Truck Sponsor: Nissan Commercial Vehicles

Operation Tiny Home joined the National Hardware Show family this year to showcase the latest trends in tiny and container home construction and raise awareness about housing instability across the country. Zack Giffin, co-host of “Tiny Home Nation,” teamed up with local veterans to teach them valuable woodworking and construction skills as they completed a furniture-making workshop. The furniture was then displayed in a tiny home that attendees could tour outside in Tailgate, Backyard & BBQ. The home was later donated to provide shelter to veterans in need.

“The workshops aren’t just about learning new skills,” says Gabrielle Rapport, founder and executive director of Operation Tiny Home. “It’s about a community building and creating something together.”

Nearby was 2 x 4s for Hope, a non-profit organization that works to build safe and secure shelters for veterans and those affected by natural disasters or who lack safe housing. Attendees could make a small donation and sign a message on a 2 x 4 that would later be used in one of the organization’s building projects.

As the popularity and shear number of smart home products continues to rise, the Show provided a new interactive way for attendees to learn more—the Smart Home Virtual Reality Experience. This display, located in the Central Lobby, offered a virtual reality tour of a fully equipped smart home.

Scott Bard of 84 Lumber gave the Smart Home experience a try. “It was the first time I’d tried something virtual reality like this,” he says. “It was really cool to see. I was able to walk through a living room and bedroom and look all through the house.” 

Products were on display from the following companies: Buy It Installed, Garage Smart, GE, Jiawei, La Crosse, Ring, Smanos

Attendees who wanted to find “the next big thing” in the home improvement industry could check out Inventors Spotlight in N109 to see 200-plus brand-new inventions and solutions for their consumers. Inventors in this area also had the opportunity to pitch their products and to meet with buyers and potential investors.

“This is our first time at the National Hardware Show,” says Clint Bunch, president of Dropout Cabinet Fixtures. “We are hoping being in Inventors Spotlight can help us find some manufacturing help instead of doing everything locally.”

The International Sourcing area represents exactly how the National Hardware Show draws professionals from all over the world. This area included exhibitors from China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Taiwan and Pakistan.

It was a great opportunity for attendees to get some face-to-face meeting time with exhibitors who they may not otherwise have gotten to meet in person. Exhibitors covered a variety of categories, including Building Products, Plumbing & Electrical, Paint & Accessories and more. Attendees could also find other international exhibitors throughout the Show floor.

Due to increased popularity, this area of the Show has continued to grow each year. Tailgate, Backyard & BBQ, located in the Silver Parking Lot, offered attendees the perfect opportunity to experience products in a more interactive way than they might on the Show floor.

The area included food, games, music and networking opportunities, as well as the chance to experience new products. “Traeger is a lifestyle brand that happens to sell barbecues,” says Luke Edgar, vice president of specialty sales for Traeger. “We spend a lot of time at this Show building relationships and showing off our brand.”

There were also a number of events and awards ceremonies taking place in this area. Attendees could take some time to head outdoors and experience all the area had to offer.

This year, the Featured Product Gallery was located on Level 2 in Room N245 and included New Product World; the Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Awards display and the Homewares Awards display. This area showcased some of the latest and greatest projects highlighted at the Show.

KODA North America was one company with their product on display in New Product World. They offer a motion-activated light with a camera that has dual-light sensors.

“This is our first year as a vendor,” says Melody Chen, product marketing manager. “With a Show this size, it can be difficult to see everything ,and New Product World helps show off those products that stand out. We’re happy to have our motion-activated light as a part of that area.”

Two other featured products areas were located in the Central Lobby: New Product Launch and Made in USA. Made in USA products continue to be popular to consumers, who like the idea of buying a product made domestically—and, in some cases, locally.

“Quality matters,” says Alex Stephens of Tie Boss, a company showcasing its offering of several types of pulleys and hoisting systems. “Our products are manufactured in Ohio, and they’re solid. When you’re hanging your $1,200 kayak from the ceiling of your garage, you don’t want to cut corners. With Tie Boss, you know you have a good product.”

New Product Launch included items that haven’t yet hit the market—with no pre-negotiations, pre-sales or exclusives. The products represent a variety of categories across the industry.

Ryan Holland from Tinker Towel Bar had his product on display in the New Product Launch area.

“This is our first time at the National Hardware Show,” he says. “I think one of the best things about the New Product Launch area is that it gives you exposure to all that traffic coming in the doors.”

Pet Products continues to be a growing category, and it was a featured one at the National Hardware Show. One trend exhibitors are seeing is that consumers want products that are more natural, says Greg Hill, president of Davis Manufacturing, which was showcasing its selection of pet shampoos and antibacterial sprays. “Everyone is looking for natural products,” he says. “Our millennial customers, especially, seem to be very anti-chemical.”

Another popular niche is Farm & Ranch, and plenty of Show exhibitors had the products attendees would need for their farming customers. “Hobby farming continues to be popular, especially for people who want to do more gardening at home and who want to take more control of their food chain,” says Cindy Hoff, manager of consumer products with Barenbrug USA. “A lot of young adults are looking to be healthier and think more carefully about the food they’re putting in their bodies.”

There were a number of awards ceremonies during the Show to recognize the best of the best in the industry, too numerous to mention here, but you can find the full list of winners here.

The NRHA Village Stage was home to a full slate of industry presentations last week, exploring everything from competing online to cybersecurity to competing online to managing retailer-supplier relationships.

Tuesday’s first keynote speaker was mother-daughter duo Karen E Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk, stars of HGTV’s “Good Bones.” In their presentation, “Small Business Management: Turning a Hobby Into Something More,” they talked about how their hobby of rehabbing old homes turned into a business, and then their TV show. They also talked about using their roles as a way to promote other local businesses. “Since we have a TV show, we get to feature so many cool companies, like artists, retailers and contractors,” says Starsiak Hawk, “so it’s great to give our local businesses a national platform and give them the recognition they deserve.”

Their presentation was followed by a meet-and-greet, giving attendees a chance to speak briefly one-on-one with the duo.

The second keynote presentation of the day was from Jules Pieri, CEO and co-founder of The Grommet, a product discovery platform that helps its community and retailers learn about innovative and unique products. In “How to Discover the Next Big Thing,” Pieri discussed how the company discovers new products—many of which later become well-known household names. “We can recognize very quickly if something is distinctive and interesting,” says Pieri. “Our promise is to discover what's next.”

“There are many companies who are supporting the Maker community,” she says. “All the things these companies need to compete are being created in fresh and innovative ways.”

Wednesday’s keynote speaker was Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of TreeHouse, the world’s first home upgrade company. In his presentation, “How TreeHouse Grew Its Roots and Where It’s Headed,” Ballard talked about “the future of the home” and how to build healthier, more sustainable homes while being award of your carbon footprint.

“We need to find a way to build homes that cooperate with human health and with our planet,” Ballard says. “If there is one thing to take away, it should be this: It is existentially important that we find a way to shelter ourselves in a way that doesn't harm our health or the world around us.”

Other speakers were:

Andrea Ridout, whose presentation “Rooster Economics—Understanding Your Flock Can Help You Sell Your Business,” talked about how her company mascot, George the Rooster, helped her take a closer look at her business and build a nest egg.

The NRHA Young Retailer Panel gave attendees a chance to hear from past Young Retailer of the Year honorees, who shared some industry insights and offered advice on managing their small businesses.

The Reimagine Retail Panel, presented by The National Hardware Show, offered the opportunity for audience members to hear from the five finalists of this year’s program, which awards $100,000 to one lucky retailer, as they spoke about their ideas for how they would use the money to improve their business.

Jim Robisch of The Farnsworth Group addressed consumers’ online shopping habits and how expectations differ between generations and market segments in his presentation, “Competing Online: Appealing to Multiple Consumer Generations and Pros.”

Daniel Duty, a former Target executive whose presentation, “Collaborating to Win: New Approaches to Retailer-Supplier Engagement,” addressed how to engage in collaborative forms of negotiation and plan successful strategic partnerships between retailers and their suppliers.

Scott Reynolds, CEO of Member Insurance, talked about cybersecurity and what attendees could do to avoid data breaches in their business.

NRHA and Independent We Stand presented the results of the latest edition of the Home Sweet Home Study, which included original research about the impact on local communities when consumers choose to purchase home improvement products on Amazon, rather than at their local stores.

This year, the Lancaster show was found in Central Hall meeting rooms N101, N102 and N103—just steps away from the Show floor. Manufacturers exhibiting at the Lancaster show include Zinsser, Rust-Oleum, Wooster Brush Co, Purdy Brush and many more.

Product Review & Vetting, found in meeting room N119, offered those with a new product the opportunity to get that product in front of a concentrated audience, featuring some of the biggest distributors and wholesalers throughout the industry.

Products were reviewed by representatives from: 84 Lumber, Ace Hardware, Arett/NPS, Distribution America, Home Hardware, Jerry’s Home Improvement, Lancaster, Mid-States Distributing Company, PRO Group, Sears, United Hardware, Val-Test, Wakefarm, Westlake

“Product Review & Vetting gives PRO Group merchandise managers an opportunity to see what new and exciting products are out there that we can introduce to our distributor members and retailers,” says Shari Kalbach, vice president of PRO Group.

Dave Christmas, president and CEO of Distribution America, says the program provides a great opportunity for their members’ entire buying group to preview new merchandise. “The central, private location affords our group the opportunity to collaboratively identify and discuss products that may be right for our retailers,” he says. “The vendors will receive almost immediate feedback from buyers, providing a unique opportunity to further refine their marketing plans.”

The 2019 National Hardware Show will be held May 7-9, 2019, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Keep up to date throughout the year by visiting the show website. Find out more via the link below: